The new Calafat – Vidin bridge between Romania and Bulgaria is set to open on May 9, according to Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov (in picture). He announced the news yesterday (February 6 ) during a visit to the bridge over the River Danube and said European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso would both attend the opening.

“The President of the European Commission, Barroso, personally, will attend the official opening of the bridge on May 9th,” said Borisov after driving across the bridge from the Bulgarian to the Romanian side.

The opening should have a decidedly European feel: the chosen date is Europe Day, which annually celebrates the EU on the date in 1950 when French foreign minister Robert Schuman first put forward the idea that would eventually lead to the Union.

The Bulgarian PM said that construction work would be finished in April and that the bridge was already 98 percent complete, according to Bulgarian news service Novinite.com. Project manager Alberto Vergara told Borisov that the remaining work included waterproofing, laying railway track, installing lighting and some road surfacing.

The idea for the new bridge dates back more than ten years, but it was in 2007 that the contracts for the building work of the bridge and the adjoining infrastructure were awarded. Spanish company FCC was appointed as contractor under FIDIC conditions for the design and construction of the main bridge (Contract 1) whereas the French-British consortium Ingerop/High-Point Rendel was appointed as the Engineer under FIDIC conditions to carry out the control of the design and the supervision of the construction. On October 26, 2007, FCC was also appointed as Contractor for Contract 3, with the consortium Ingerop/High-Point Rendel/Salfo appointed as the engineer.

The project is jointly funded by the Romanian and Bulgarian states and the EU. The project budget for the Bulgarian side is a little over EUR 225 million, while the Romanian side of the bridge has a EUR 48 million budget.

editor@romania-insider.com

photo source: danubebridge2.com